THE champagne should be chilling, the red carpet should be being unrolled and a sense of euphoria should be swirling around The Kop.

It has been another momentous week at Anfield, one that has seen Fernando Torres reaffirm his commitment to the cause, but if Liverpool supporters felt a confident assurance at its start, the weekend dawns with an increasing apprehension.

For while there is widespread glee that the ham-fisted, debt-laden tenure of Tom Hicks and George Gillett will soon be over, it is tempered by the fact that, to borrow an old analogy, Liverpool could actually jump from the frying pan into the fire.

Up until last Sunday, the vast majority would have been blissfully unaware of the Chinese mogul Kenny Huang - fewer still would have known about the merits of the Syrian businessman Yahya Kirdi.

Now though, their names are being rattled into internet search engines, as anxious Reds aim to discover whether they will be fit and proper people to run one of the globe’s most famous footballing institutions.

Without being overdramatic, this is the biggest decision that will ever be made surrounding Liverpool Football Club; one that will determine their position in the game for years to come. For that reason, judgements will be reserved for some time.

Unlike when Hicks and Gillett rolled into town, promising the earth but ultimately delivering nothing, Liverpudlians are not going to be seduced by sums of money that resemble international telephone numbers.

Caution has to – and must be – the watchword. If Huang and the Chinese Investment Corporation take control for instance, the figures with which Liverpool could end up dealing are mind-boggling but they will not guarantee nirvana for the club.

We are after all talking about businessmen. Hicks and Gillett did not get involved with Liverpool because they grew up idolising Billy Liddell and Albert Stubbins, they bought David Moores out because they spotted a chance to make big money.

Similarly, Huang and his associates – assuming they are successful – are not going to plough funds into Anfield fuelled by romance and nostalgia; this represents an opportunity for them to tap into the potential of the Far Eastern football market.

Of those who have shown their hands in recent days, Huang’s looks the most straightforward proposal even though Kirdi has made an offer that would enable Hicks and Gillett to depart with an eye-watering profit.

Inevitably, that means the pressure building around the situation becomes more intense by the day and the man at the centre of the action will perhaps be mindful of a quote issued by Liverpool’s former chief executive back in December 2004.

“We are evaluating our options in a measured way and we look forward to reaching the right conclusion,” said Rick Parry.

“It is about reaching the right conclusion for the next 100 years, not for the next few months as you only sell the family silver once.”

Martin Broughton dare not make the mistake Parry went on to make and, given his lifelong links with Chelsea, many will be viewing his role in the shaping of Liverpool’s future with great suspicion.

However, you do not occupy the roles he has in business if you are a fool and it is understood that Broughton has absolutely no intention of hurrying a deal through just to give the prospective new owners a chance to work in the current transfer window.

Broughton, Liverpool’s chairman, is acutely aware his efforts will be scrutinised years down the line and that is why he will not hoist a “sale agreed” placard up outside Anfield.

“There is no base line,” he said at the press conference held for Roy Hodgson’s unveiling as manager last month. “I’ve said it before and will say it again – this is an auction. When the winning bid comes through, we will do a deal with the best bidder.

“The best bidder may not be the highest bidder. This is more than just money. It is about the stadium development, it’s about the team – it’s about the whole piece. Once we have been through that process, the best bidder gets it.”

With that in mind, there should be some reassurance that just because Kirdi appears to be offering more than Huang –for obvious reasons, Hicks and Gillett favour his bid – he is not in the driving seat.

There is momentum for a decision to be taken in days but it is imperative that Liverpool’s executives pause to survey the bigger picture; they will not get another chance to make the coming decades as successful as the past.